One Moms Quest to Contain the Chaos

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Weekend in Review: Memorable Parenting Moments

You know how they say “Every Moment is a Teaching Moment?” What they fail to tell you is that when they say EVERY moment, they mean it. That includes the moments you DIDN’T want to teach your child. Those teaching moments- they don’t distinguish between good/extremely inappropriate. Those teaching moments don’t give a heads up like, “yes child, pay attention NOW!” or “wait child, avert eyes and EARMUFFS!”

That being said, I give you my Weekend in Review which includes my top Memorable Parenting Moments. Most are sweet and fun. A couple, well….funny, yes.

1. Our first memorable parenting moments came when we were at Eastern Market. I was a proud momma when Sweets said, “Thank you!” to the man giving out the free peach samples. I was the momma ignoring the child running around pilfering all the blueberries which were NOT on the sample table. I then had to have the “you can’t just take things, you need to pay for them or else it’s called stealing” conversation. Again. Last time we had it was during a meltdown in CVS when she was walking out with a bag of M&M’s saying, “but I’m just LOOKING at them!”

2. I then took the little thief Sweets to get smoothies. A man behind us in line had been waiting a good 20 minutes and when he got up to pay he only had $3. Smoothies were $5. This seemed a person that does not have the means to buy $5 smoothies on a regular basis and to be fair the price wasn’t posted but the price for lemonade was $3. The poor guy was turned away. So I gave him $2 to get his smoothie. He wasn’t looking for handouts and it’s not like he was buying booze or cigarettes. Sweets looked at me and said, “Mommy, you’re so nice.” Good time to explain to her the concept of charity, given the last time she was a homeless person holding out a cup she said, “He should stop asking for money and get a job.” Yeah, she’d been hanging out with my husband.

Smoothie Treat for My Sweets

3. During the summer, especially on rainy days, filling a child’s time can be brutal. Well, Kiwi crate to the rescue! Kiwi Crate is ozzum and was recommended to me by my friend Kaitie. Once a month you get a box, addressed to your child (b/c they Looooove getting mail!) with 2 art activities with ALL THE MATERIALS needed and the instructions. I have 2 boxes piled up because I’ve had no time to fill my child’s time. So on this rainy morning I was in luck- I had a STOCKPILE! First, we made a “nature treasure chest” where you put together and decorate a box and then you can go and collect nature-y stuff. You know, like leaves and rocks, because we all want more of that stuff in the house.

Treasure Chest

Her “treasure” aka “weeds and pieces of leaves”.

Searching for treasure in what is hopefully not poison ivy

While this activity definitely took up loads of time, because walking to and from the community garden a whole block away takes what feels like 9 hours in kid speed- I was more partial to the “bird mask” activity because it didn’t involve bringing the outdoors indoors. What I learned from this is that mommy is a control freak and needs to remember that it is about the process, not the end result. I tell this to my teachers ALL. THE. TIME.

Me: [doing part of bird activity]

Sweets: “Mommy, what are you doing? Why are you doing that? Why am I not doing that? I want to do that!”

Me: “Well, because this part might be hard and I just want to make sure it’s right……” [omg WHAT IS MY PROBLEM!!!???]

Sweets: [blank look on face]

Me: “Right. Here you go.”

Kiwi bird mask

Bird outfit….which she wore for .5 seconds, put it away and well that was that

Best part of that outfit is that she reminded me of Jim Carrey from Batman….remember? At the end when he went all kinds of crazy? Yes, I think my daughter resembles a crazy Jim Carrey. But she did it [mostly] all on her own and it turned out just fine.

4. Cooking brings people together. Yep, nothing like getting good friends in the kitchen for good times. One of my bestest friends is moving 12 hours time difference away next month for 2 years. So I had her over for dinner and Sweets’ job was to teach her how to make a cobbler. This was not planned. But when I told Sweets earlier in the day we needed to make the cobbler she said, “no, I need to make it with Miss Amy.”

So. Then this happened:

It was about the cutest thing ever. It helps that my friend is an ozzum Montessori teacher and was ALL. OVER. this. She also kept Sweets entertained while I got dinner ready, which is always hugely appreciated. We then skyped with her husband, already 12 hours time difference away and Sweets thought it very funny to have her Lamby talk to Mr. Steve. Like I said, sweet moment.

5. And then there was this:

Sitting all ladylike

Apparently she is learning how to sit like a lady from the dog. This needs work.

6. Out of the mouths of [dirty] babes. Oh goodness. Sooooo. We are coming inside to find the dog had somehow gotten Noggin’s toy giraffe (that ridiculously trendy Sofie giraffe thing) and was chewing away on it. We walk in, Sweets looks at the situation and exclaims, “aw, dammit!”

Appropriate use, she’s got that going for her.

In all my behavior specialist expertise, I say:

“Sweets, that is not an okay word to say.”

Sweets: “But why are you laughing?”

Me: “I’m not. I am coughing. Anyways, that is not a word you can say.”

Sweets: “But you and daddy say it.”

Me:”It’s an adult word”. What?? THAT is my explanation?

oh well. So, in hindsight we had some great memorable teaching moments and then there were the moments that made me think it’s a good thing she is young, we’ve got time to fix her.